Confusion
by Aspiring Artist14
Summary: Surviving high school and dealing with her peers is enough for Cassidy to handle. But what about the feelings she has for one of her oldest friends? Can she overcome her confusion and inner turmoil? ::Drabble one-shot, related to Be Careful What You Wish For. Leo/OC? May be continued later.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! If you've read Be Careful What You Wish For, you're gonna want to read this too. And if you haven't that's fine, but you can if you wish and I encourage you to :) This started out as a silly thing to help me vent about some of my own confusions, but then it turned into a potential Leo love interest! I wasn't sure who I wanted to be Leo's girl, but then this came to mind and became the perfect fit! I especially like it cause Leo's my favorite and she's the most like me, hehe.**

**I'm sorry if you think this is just a whole lot of complaining, I don't think it's like that it's more just trying to understand the character, ya know? and I feel like a lot of people go through this crap in the high school years. **

**I'm excited to bring Cassidy into BCWYWF in the near future, and for those of you who have read it, this little one-shot doesn't mean that I'm ditching that story! This is just the first weekend I've had in forever to actually sit and write. Sorry about that :/ Also, if you were expecting some Leo/Cass action right off the bat, I'm gonna have to disappoint you. We're not ready for that yet. But in the future? you'll see!**

**Whew, sorry for all the explaining! On with the story! and remember to review and tell me what you think!**

**Oh, and I don't own TMNT or NYC or any addresses in said city.**

* * *

Cassidy was sick of feeling confused and conflicted all the time. Sure, teenage years weren't supposed to be easy, but the past year had proved that fact was an understatement.  
Cass sighed and rubbed a shaking hand over her face. It was Friday afternoon, and as usual, she was at home lying on her bed. Fridays were her off days. No practice, and homework could be left for Sunday. She could catch up on TV, sleep, and eat whatever she wanted.  
Sometimes she had to babysit, and sometimes the twins would come over, but not tonight.  
For the 10,000th time, Cassidy asked herself a humiliating question.

_You're a 16 year old girl; don't you have some social gathering you could go to? A party? Anything?_  
The even more humiliating answer was no.  
Always no.

She had learnt to accept this, and even embrace it, not wanting to mingle with her peers anyway. Cassidy always felt like a mom around people her age, always the moral compass, never understanding how her fellow teens could be so materialistic, unsympathetic, and clueless.

Cassidy didn't belong in this generation.

What her peers didn't understand, and few had ever witnessed, was Cassidy's extreme fun side. Though she never did, Cassidy could party with the best of them. Not the drunk, high, illegal kind of partying, but the let loose, silly dancing, loud singing, be yourself kind of partying.

But not this year. Fear of awkward situations had caused her to pull back into her own shell, only showing small parts of her real self to the public.  
So, another night of ice cream, cartoons, and superhero movies. Not so bad, right? Cassidy dropped her head into her pillow, moaning in anger and defeat. Thus was her life.

A vibration against her hip brought Cass back into reality. A text? Cassidy ran though the list of possible contacts in her mind.

_Mrs. Tiller, Erin, Elana, Coach Mac...  
_In the small amount of texts she received, these where the people most likely to be the sender.

But when she lifted the screen to eye level, none of those names flashed before her. The one that did was extremely unexpected, and she could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she read the name. Her face grew warm and she immediately squashed the silly feeling inside of her.

**_New Message from Leonardo_**

With a shaking hand and a wandering mind, Cass opened the text.

**_Leonardo: Everything alright?_**

She held her breath. She knew Leo too well to know he had to be watching her to ask this. He was playing around, but in true Leonardo fashion, could probably tell that something was indeed wrong with her.

But why had he come in the first place? She hadn't seen him in months, as was customary during the school year. Very rarely did she see or hear from her strange friend other than the holidays and summer vacation.

Cassidy swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached to pull the curtains back from her window.  
Expecting to see the blue masked boy- erhm, _turtle_- crouched on the rooftop of the enclosed porch outside her window; she was surprised and slightly depressed when nothing but deserted shingles met her eyes.

Thoroughly confused, Cassidy turned around and sat back onto her bed. Her thumbs flew across the keyboard of her phone.

**_Me: Where are you? How did you know?_**

Cass didn't have to wait long for his reply.

**_Leonardo: 100 Acre wood. And I just know- ninja?_**

Cassidy rolled her eyes. Of course, the fact that Leo is a ninja justified any questionable act. But she was happy to know he was hanging out in their old woods. But why? And why today? She typed back;

**_Me: Feeling nostalgic? _**

She figured she had the right to a smart-ass remark if he was going to play games.

His reply:

**_Leonardo: Something like that. Remember, 6 years ago?_**

That question had her stumped. 6 years ago? What in the world was he saying?

**_Me: Not exactly. You stopping by?_**

**_Leonardo: Of course._**

Cassidy threw her phone beside her, into the duvet. From 100 Acre wood (yes, they had named the woods in Central Park after the forest in Winnie the Pooh) to her house was only a 15 minute walk, or in Leo's case, an 8 minute run. That gave her just enough time to contemplate what Leo meant by "6 years ago".

She opened her window to prepare for her friend's arrival. The breeze that moved into the room smelled perfect, like the start of summer. It was painfully familiar. Like the day she separated from Erin and Elana and wound up in the sewers on her own. When she had met the brothers. That was the summer she turned 10... Cassidy's eyes went wide. 6 years ago. She met the turtles 6 years ago.

Cassidy really couldn't believe it… It didn't seem like 6 years had passed. That day was still fresh in her mind.

* * *

_"Lana, stop worrying! Think positive for once!" _

_"I am being positive! Erin, I'm just not sure about this area... Couldn't we have an adventure and still stick to 100 Acre wood?"_

_Erin and Cass shared a sidelong glance, communicating their exasperation over Elana's nervousness. They both knew when she let go; she could have just as much fun as they did. If only she was more carefree._

_Cassidy, always the bridge between the conflicting twins, gave a loud whoop and pointed the front tire of her bike down West 82__nd__ Street, where the outskirts of Central Park met the city. She had convinced her adventuresome best friends to accompany her on the "adventure of a lifetime". (Really just a bike ride to a large, made-to-look-pretty creek and sewer gate in the Park) But in Cassidy's 10 year old mind, it was the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. (Harry Potter ruled their lives) _

_So the girls picked up their homemade wands, hopped on their Nimbus 2001's (bikes), and rode like the wind. Upon their arrival, the girls ditched their broomsticks on a hilltop and made their way down to the creek. _

_"Wands at the ready, girls." Cassidy whispered in an obviously practiced British accent back to her friends._

_Each girl muttered, "Lumos", and imagined her wand tip glowing. Slowly, the three young witches crept closer and closer to the sewer grate, which stood towering above them at the end of the creek bed. Cassidy was the first to reach the jail cell door-like structure, and the first to see that the creek continued on the other side of the barred wall. _

_"This must be it! And look, I reckon we can shimmy right through those bars!"_

_"No, no, Cass. The Chamber can only open by a Parselmouth!"Elana said; she was finally getting into the game._

_Cassidy smiled back at her friend. "Of course you're right Lana, good thing we've got a Parselmouth right here." She jabbed her thumb into her chest._

_Lana and Erin pushed Cass forward, silently urging her to speak in the snake language. Cassidy produced a weak rendition of the hissing sound she had heard her hero say so many times before. Lana and Erin provided the sound effects of the bars magically moving away, and then slipped in between the un-moved bars._

_Cassidy was so excited to find the "Chamber" that she shimmied through the bars and took off running through the shallow water. The twins were much faster than her, and she knew they could follow her splashing footsteps. She didn't hear the girls calling for her, or notice they were no longer next to or behind her. Her splashing and panting drowned out their voices._

_Some minutes later, when Cassidy finally put the brakes on her run, she found she was utterly alone. And the tunnel was really __**really**__ dark. In reality, her wand tip wasn't glowing. _

_"Okay, no big deal, just turn around and go back Cass…"_

_Cassidy had to speak aloud to herself, silence made her extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, her eyes had adjusted a little to the darkness and she waded her way back in the direction she thought she had come from._

_She hadn't been walking for more than a few minutes when she came across a split in the tunnel. Which one had she come from? And why hadn't she paid attention? Her feet where numb from the cold water and her hand had splinters in it from gripping her wooden wand so tightly. The urge to scream and cry worked its way up inside of her, but Cassidy swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the hysteria down. She was going to find her way out of here. She was going to find her friends, and make sure they were okay. She had gotten them and herself into this mess. _

_And now she was going to get out of it. _

_Cassidy chose the left tunnel and pushed on. She would stop every so often to listen for any sounds of life ahead of her, and called out Elana's and Erin's names every so often. Then, if by some miracle, she saw a dim glow up ahead. _

_But when she ran closer to the light, all she saw was a small hole in the floor and a ladder. The light was coming from wherever the light led to… somewhere underneath her. _

_Should she go toward this light? Could it help her? Or would it get her even more lost, even deeper into the tunnels she was trying to escape?_

_Her body made the decision before her mind did, and Cassidy climbed down the ladder. The rungs were sick from moisture, and more than once Cassidy's feet and hands slipped out from under her. Finally, something more solid than a thin rung of a ladder hit Cass's foot. Breathing in relief, she lowered herself down to the floor. _

_But the floor wasn't a floor at all. She was crouched on a larger pipe, high above the ground she could just see below her. Dim lights were placed throughout the new tunnel, showing Cass that it went on forever in both directions. She cried out as her foot slipped a bit on the pipe._

_Tears that had threated to fall now ran down Cassidy's face. Her body hurt from the physical strain of keeping herself on the ladder and pipe, she had lost feeling in her toes a while ago, and she had dropped her wand while climbing the ladder. She tried to shimmy down the pipe a little, but where would she go? _

_So Cassidy just hugged the pipe for dear life and let her tears overtake her. She screamed for her friends, for her mother, for anyone. In the back of her mind, though, she knew no one would find her. She was hopeless._

_Cassidy lost track of time, and lost her voice. Her tears had long dried on her face and her hair was coming out of her ponytail, but she couldn't release her hold on the pipe to fix it. _

_Using the last of her energy and voice, Cassidy tried one more time to scream for anyone who could help her._

_"Help! Anyone, please, please, help me! Please…"_

_Cassidy had just about passed out when something grabbed her around the waist and lifted her from the pipe. She didn't even have the energy to fight back, and could only hope whoever had her was going to help her. Her throat was too raw to speak, but she could hear voices just fine. _

_"What is it, Mikey?" Cassidy guessed this voice belonged to a young male, because his voice had cracked on the "is"._

_"It's a little girl… I think? Leo, you take her."_

_"Mikey, it was your idea to go chasing after random voices in the sewer! You carry it!"_

_"Nah Leo, this ain't an "it". Knucklehead's right, she's jus' a little girl."_

_Someone growled and the voice called Leo spoke again. "Fine, but you know we won't be allowed to take her back to the lair. Master Splinter wouldn't like it."_

_"Then what d' you suggest, O Fearless One?"_

_"…let me see her."_

_Cassidy felt her body shift from one pair of small arms to another. Startled, she opened her eyes. The guy holding her wasn't exactly visible in the light, but she could see he was bald and had something around his eyes. She worked up enough energy to speak to the boy._

_"Can you… please take me home…? I just want to go home…"_

_His voice had softened. "Where's 'home'?"_

_Cassidy recited the address she had memorized years ago. "225 Central Park West."_

_"Guys, that's on the other side of the park. We can take her there." The boy holding her now spoke to the other voices she had heard. _

_That was when Cassidy had passed out._

* * *

The boys had told her years later how they had taken her home, and then got in trouble with their Father for being out so late. They had come back a week after that night, to check on her and show her who they really were.

She had been in trouble with Mrs. Tiller (Elana and Erin's mom), but her own mother hadn't even been home that week. She had taken one of her "trips" to "Uncle Benny's".

Everyday Cassidy thanked God for Mrs. Tiller, her real mom through the years. Her own mother was usually too busy selling her body and her drugs to lowlifes in Queens.

She also thanked God for her four terrapin friends, who saved her from the sewers. She grew closer with the turtles over the years, so much so that she was allowed to enter their home and meet their Father, who she admired immensely. The boys would come to her when they needed a friend, and vice versa. Her holidays were often lonely because the Tillers went to Canada to be with their extended family, and her mother always found some random guy to lie with.

The turtles found this out when Cassidy was 12, they 14. Ever since, she had spent the holidays in the sewers with the boys and Master Splinter.

She had been a bit jealous when April stumbled into their lives, but it wasn't like she saw the boys everyday anyway. She soon considered April a best friend and big sister; it was nice having another female around the lair when she visited.

Thoughts of April brought thoughts of Donatello. The two had become close this past year, and Cassidy hadn't seen as much of Donnie because of it. She didn't mind, but she missed him. She had been very close with each brother equally, and considered them all her best friends. But it was not secret that Donatello had been focusing on April this year.

Raphael, Mike, and Leonardo still texted her, but only Mikey and Leonardo had stopped by during Spring Break. She didn't think much of it; she knew Raph was a bit more secluded and guarded than the others. But she missed them all. She was really happy Leonardo was coming to see her, she realized; she had missed him the most although she had seen him most recently.

And she knew why. Ugh, she couldn't help herself for how she felt. Of course she noticed Leo's perfectly sculpted and strong body, his gorgeous eyes, and his rare, real smile. She also had loved to watch how he had grown; she wondered if he could get any taller.

Although she was undoubtedly attracted to her long-time turtle friend, she was so mixed up inside it didn't matter.

Ever since her break-up with her last boyfriend, Cassidy had been feeling… scared? No… awkward? Uncomfortable? Maybe all three. But any thought of physical intimacy made Cassidy more squeamish than a sissy girl around bugs.

The worst part was Cassidy couldn't figure out why she felt this way. At first, she thought maybe it was because of her past experiences.

Cassidy had "dated" her first boyfriend at age 12. He told her how he really loved her, and she loved the attention. She never told him that she had any feelings for him, because truthfully, she never did. She ended that relationship because she had a huge crush on his best friend.

The boy she had a crush on… well, they never dated. But he had asked her of pictures of herself, and she complied because of her silly infatuation. She never removed all of her clothes in these pictures, but they were apparently enough to make him want to. He sent her a picture of his… well his most private part. She received the text before she received the picture, and deleted the picture without looking at it. Cassidy lied back to him that she had seen it. It made her extremely uncomfortable and disappointed in herself that she would let things progress this far. She ended all ties with him, and vowed never to make mistakes like that ever again. She was worth more than that.

She dated another guy for about 5 days in 8th grade, when she had just turned 13. He was a loser, everyone told her, and so she dumped him. She never had any real feelings for him. She did have feelings for another guy, though, and he started paying attention to her only after the loser asked her out.

So she had a "thing" with this other guy now. She really liked him a lot, and was so happy when he paid her attention. She didn't care that he was a "manwhore". He wasn't like that with her!

After his practice one day, he asked her to meet him after school by a local pizza shop. She met him there, and he kissed her in the grass of Central Park. It was her first kiss; she still was wearing her braces, so she couldn't have been good at it. But a couple nights later, he asked her to sneak out and meet him again. She did, and they made out in the Park.

She was so happy, she didn't even care to worry if she was a good kisser or not. But within that next week, the guy had moved on to another girl. Cassidy was crushed.

Throughout the end of 8th grade, and the summer into freshman year, she was made fun of for the two guys she had had "things" with. She was embarrassed and sick with herself for letting this happen to her.

But only months into freshman year, most people forgot about her. And that "loser" she had dated for a couple days in 8th grade? He liked her again. Cassidy thought, what the heck, he's cute.

They dated for 7 months. They became more intimate than Cassidy had ever been. She had to stop him from completely disrobing her a couple times, and he got her bra off many a time. Cass pretended she liked it, but she really never got any pleasure out of his touches. She never felt anything deeper for him.

She was desperate to get away by month 6. An older guy had taken interest in her, and she clung to his attention. This made her boyfriend very confused and hurt, but Cassidy didn't care. She was sick of him.

Cassidy finally broke up with him.

…And not a week later, was asking for him back. The older guy was gross. She didn't really want anything to do with him either. She missed her old boyfriend. Wait, scratch that. She missed having someone close to her, someone to always talk to and say she was beautiful. She had pushed her other friends away in the process; Elana and Erin were very hurt. The turtle boys could tell something was wrong with Cassidy when she wouldn't accept their invites to the lair.

Her boyfriend took her back, and on the last day of school, they were dating again. Cassidy was leaving for a trip with Elana and Erin the next day, but they decided they'd see each other when she got back and they'd talk the entire time.

Leo also came to see her that night before she left. She couldn't help to notice how overly attentive and funny he was being. She loved it, loved having a night to catch up with her best friend.

On her trip she couldn't help but think about Leo.

When she got home, she met up with her boyfriend. They had one passion-filled night, which really wasn't that passion filled. It was like any other of their times. He just liked getting under her shirt.

They both left this time, on different trips. She went to a space camp (yeah, she wanted to be an astronaut, so what?) and told all her friends there about her perfect boyfriend.

When she texted him after they both got home, he wasn't the same. Cassidy knew something was wrong. The next day, he broke up with her. She was "poisoning" his mind and spirit, leading him away from God and to desire. Good riddance, Cassidy thought. _He didn't deserve me any way. He was a sort of chubby, annoying goody-two-shoes, and I never got anything out of his kisses. _

So that summer went on, and into sophomore year and Cassidy told herself to not date anyone. Leonardo became more attractive still, a fact she did not miss but tried to ignore.

Cassidy followed her own rule until she started crushing on an older guy, hard. He was beyond attractive. His personality wasn't perfect, but good enough. And his family loved her. The first night they hung out, he got under her shirt. She didn't want to scare him off, so she let him touch her even though she didn't want him to. She did stop him after a bit and told him "she wasn't going to have sex with him". He said he understood, but she didn't think he really did.

The problem was that she _felt_ more with him than she had with her ex. She let things go on for a couple months, faking that she was "ticklish" whenever he tried to get into her pants.

He was probably fed up with not getting any, and not being able to hang out for about a month, so he broke up with her.

She didn't really want things to end, but she knew she had only liked their relationship when he wasn't pressuring her to have sex. And she would have done it, if she wasn't only 15 years old. She wasn't going to be one of those girls. Elana and Erin were there for her through it all, and encouraged her to keep her virginity. They became even closer than they had been in years.

April, who she had met that year, also praised her for staying pure. She told Cassidy he wasn't worth it. Cassidy knew this was true.

The boys didn't like to get involved with her relationship problems, other than Mikey. He would frequently come over those few months after for ice cream "dates", when they would just talk and listen to their favorite albums on repeat. Leonardo almost completely ignored the fact that she had dated someone at all. He just smiled a lot more openly once he knew she was single.

Cassidy put all of her efforts into her school work and her sports. Crew (the sport she had just recently fallen in love with) became her life. She forged close relationships with her teammates and coaches, and her natural talent shown. Cassidy was in the best shape of her life, and the best girl on the team. Her school work took up the rest of her time.

Summer ran into junior year, the most stressful year of Cassidy's life. Her and Leo talked all the time, and Donnie or April tutored her whenever they could. School and Crew were her everything.

Sure, guys flirted with her and some probably liked her. But she didn't care. She wasn't putting herself out there anymore. She didn't need someone to... be intimate with. She was young and had her life ahead of her to do things like that. Plus, Cassidy wasn't lonely, she liked keeping to herself. She got enough company from the twins and her teammates.

But she really did start to like Leonardo more and more.

And although she was so attracted to him in every way, there was no way of telling him or showing him. Cassidy didn't know if it was because he was different from the other guys she had dated (he was shy and a gentleman; he would never ever make a move on her. He wouldn't show her that he liked her more than a smile and lots of attention).

Or, if it was because she was beyond scared of being physical with someone. All of her past experiences had been so fake and hadn't made her feel anything. She didn't want to take a chance on Leonardo just for them being together to not meet the level of perfection she expected. It would ruin their friendship.

Why did he have to be so goddamn attractive, and nice, and funny, and trustworthy, and moralistic, and confident, and sweetly shy…

Cassidy stood and stretched her sore muscles, shook all thoughts of an attractive Leo out of her mind, and replaced them with Leo, her best friend, with whom she could talk to about anything.

When she turned to the window, wondering why he hadn't shown yet, Cassidy didn't expect to see Leonardo lounging in her desk chair, fake-examining one of his katana.

Before she could laugh at his joke, she steeled herself and crossed her arms. He wasn't gonna get to her that easily. Cass knew he must have come in while she was stretching, and had to have looked at her as he did so. What made her ask the question she did, she had no idea.

"Enjoyed the view, did you?"

A bit startled, Leonardo looked up from his katana sheepishly. "Uh, Cass, I didn't…"

His face and tone of voice pushed the laughter out of Cassidy. He was too cute. "Of course not! Leonardo, the Prodigal Son, he would never." She winked at his shocked expression.

_Oh God, winking? NO nonononononono no._

But Leo wasn't so easily embarrassed. He collected himself and a semi-confident grin graced his green face.

"Got that right." His face turned serious again; his leader face. This could only mean trouble for Cassidy. "What's with the pity party?"

Shoot, Cassidy forgot that she had brought ice cream up with her. The empty carton, her laptop, and a _Captain America _DVD were strewn across her bed. If you knew Cass like Leo did, you could tell she was in depression mode.

"Oh, well you know. School is just stressful…"

Leo cut her off lightly. "The building or the people inside of it?"

Cassidy only had to look at him and he knew. He stood, and she fell into his arms sobbing. She hadn't cried like this since that day 10 years ago. Leonardo hadn't _held_ her like this since they were very young. She was so happy to have him there, his support and his friendship to console her.

They stood that way for what seemed like hours, her face buried into his plastron and her arms constricted around his middle, small hands pressed up against his shell. His arm wrapped around her back and the other around her head, his large three-fingered hand slowly caressing the back of her head and combing through her hair.

"Don't let them get to you, Cass." He whispered and held her tighter still.

* * *

**So, you like? Review! by the way, this happens like right before Raph and Mona first meet. just for you BCWYWF people :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! **

**Okay, I just have to take this space to say how deeply sorry I am and how guilty I feel for not updating the whole summer. Writers' block hit me like a ton of bricks after school ended, and I haven't even been able to look at anything for BCWYWF, which I feel so bad about because there is just so much to develop there I just can't wrap my mind around how I want to do it! So I've left it be. **

**But I've had this baby 2/3 of the way written since like first week of June. I've walk away from and come back to this I think 6 or 7 times now. I've re-read and re-written all of it, because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I finally added the last part, but I still hate it and I feel awful that it's such a stupid ending. I just wanted to give you guys ****_something_****. This was 14 pages on Word though, so I hope it satisfies a little bit.**

**I'm also sorry about all the songs. They're just favorites that I couldn't help but put in the story cause I just love them so much. I hope they don't annoy you, I've tried to integrate them into the story in an interesting way. **

**I really hope I can update Be Careful What You Wish For soon. Again, I'm REALLY sorry! **

**Also, if you can't remember this too well, I'd say read chapter one. I think it's a lot better read if you do so. Review guys! I wanna know if I should put Cass into Be Careful What You Wish For!**

* * *

**Chapter Two of ****_Confusion_**

Hamato Leonardo stiffened when he felt a small drip of moisture hit his plastron and trickle downward, using the many nicks and scars that patterned it as a sort of path. That tear instilled a sense of calm within Leo. All hormonal jitters aside, the turtle knew he had to stay strong for the girl he held tightly in his arms.

* * *

He hadn't held Cassidy like this since they were younger, the first time she had told Leonardo and his brothers about her… family situation. And even then, it had been a sort of group-hug effort, with all the guys consoling her at once. Leo should have known that because of his more-frequent solo visits something like this was bound to happen.

Yeah, he knew it. And it was secretly part of the reason he came alone. He could say that Donnie didn't come because of April, and Raph because he had started to act completely insane, and Mike because he was being punished or was focused on a new video game, but Leo knew the truth. He came alone because hanging out with Cass was ten times better when it was just the two of them alone.

The Kraang had been giving the Hamato clan a whole lot of trouble the past few weeks, until they just up and disappeared two nights ago. The turtles went from seeing the alien robots two or three times a night to not seeing hide or tail of them. This worried Leonardo and Master Splinter. The alien robot's disappearance wasn'tbecause they wanted to take a break. The Kraang were up to something, and Leo's gut feeling was that whatever they were planning; it was gonna be bad. Very bad.

All members of the Hamato clan were on edge, save for Raphael who seemed to _always_ be on edge lately, so extra precautions were put into place. Checking in with April and her dad came first, because they had first-hand experience with the crazed robots and were the most likely to be targeted again. Once the O'Neil's were checked on and cautioned, Cassidy became Leo's number one priority. He knew he needed to see her. So he had sent the text, mainly to hint that he was planning on a visit.

The text he received back from her set him on edge. Leo had no reason to believe that Cassidy was in any physical danger, but he knew she was upset. He quickened his pace, but a near-6-foot tall mutant turtle could only run so fast while the setting sun still shined. He just had to make it across Central Park, and then he could see her.

He told her where he was, and slipped his tPhone away ready to break into a sprint. But before he had the chance his phone vibrated again. Cassidy was being unusually snappy and… could it be? Flirtatious? _Huh_. _Fine, if that's how it's gonna be, why not give her something to think about?_ It had been weighing on _his_ mind for long enough. As he sent the text, Leonardo wondered if she even remembered that 6 years had gone by since they had met.

Leo shook his head. _Enough with these thoughts._ The blue-masked terrapin shut down his suddenly anxious mind and focused on his footsteps and form, making sure to step lightly and not rustle any leaves as he practically flew through the trees of 100 Acre wood.

In minutes that had seemed to drag on for years, Leonardo reached Cassidy's pretty townhouse-condo. The enormity and privacy of her home never ceased to amaze Leonardo; but it also saddened him, knowing the evil and sadness involved in attaining it. _But that wasn't Cassidy's fault_, he reminded himself.

In a few leaps and bounds, Leonardo was jumping off the larger roof, to the porch roof, finally landing silently on Cassidy's windowsill. In fact, the young ninja had been so quiet that his friend hadn't even noticed his presence.

No, she was still sitting on her bed, her back turned slightly away from Leo. Cassidy sometimes got like this; when she thought for too long, she would go into a sort of trance. Leo made to move, to shake her shoulder and snap his friend out of it. But, before the turtle could move, Cass did. She stood quickly, but her back was still to him. Leonardo knew he should make a move, make a sound, do anything to let her know he was there; but the blue-masked warrior just couldn't. He was rooted to the spot, crouched in her windowpane.

Leonardo watched with wide eyes as his childhood friend reached up, up, up toward her ceiling, arms high over her head. Dark brown, almost black hair nearly touched the middle of Cassidy's shoulder blades. It was slightly mussed on one side, like she had been laying on it for too long and her big, natural curls were slightly pulled out from the pressure.

Cassidy's muscles were so tensed in the stretch that Leo could clearly define each one through the loose, oversized grey shirt she wore. Her hamstrings looked about ready to burst from the strain. Leonardo had to take a moment to appreciate the impressive strength his friend possessed. That Crew thing had really toned her small, curvy figure. A slight blush spread its way across Leonardo's green face when his eyes involuntarily traveled up Cass's legs to her backside, where the perk of her bottom was hidden by the old boxer shorts Mikey had gotten Cassidy last Christmas as a joke.

All of this took about 6 seconds or so, 6 seconds of bliss for Leonardo as he looked on in bashful awe. But, he was still a ninja, and could see the split second when Cass's muscles loosened. With speed only he and his brothers could muster, Leo settled into Cassidy's desk chair and slid a single katana out of its hilt, holding it in front of himself like he was inspecting the most interesting piece of metal in the world.

"Enjoying the view?"

Leonardo suppressed a shudder when he heard her sweet voice. It didn't madder if her tone was slightly accusatory, her voice was low and soft and, besides, he could hear a smile buried somewhere in her speech. So caught up in just listening to her, Leo almost didn't understand what Cassidy had said. When the turtle's mind finally registered what she said, he panicked. _Did she know I was watching? What do I say?_

Taking a page from his youngest brother's book, Leonardo decided on full-out denial. He looked up from his sword slowly, desperately trying to hide the blush attempting to attack his face.

"Uh, Cass, I didn't…"

To the turtle's surprise, his sheepishness drew a laugh from the girl who stood only a few feet away.

"Of course not! Leonardo, the Prodigal Son, he would _never_."

_Don't I get enough of this "Almighty Leader" stuff at home? Eeveryone thinks I'm some sort of narcissistic, power hungry goody-two-shoes… _Willing and grateful to play along with the excuse, Leo forced as much confidence he could muster under the icy blue gaze (_seriously, her eyes were extremely intimidating)_ of his closest friend and thought of some clever reply.

"Got that right." _That's what you consider _clever_? Embarrassing, Leonardo._

Although distracted by his inner turmoil, Leo's analytical mind was hard-wired to assess his surroundings. Seeing the empty carton of Cassidy's favorite Ben & Jerry's, a superhero movie, and Scar (her affectionately named laptop) lying on the green duvet of Cass's bed signaled to him that she was upset. Leo noted the new color of her duvet, seeing that it strangely resembled the hue of his own skin. But he couldn't dwell on it. Obviously, Cassidy wasn't having the best day.

Leo knew the expression his face held was one he usually reserved for his brothers alone, when they worried him; he hoped she wouldn't be too startled by it. To compensate, Leonardo tried to keep his voice casual.

"What's with the pity party?"

No matter that Leo had tried, Cassidy still seemed nervous. Her toes curled and she tugged on one of her big, loose curls.

"Oh, well, you know. School is just stressful…" Leo shook his head; he knew she was something.

"The building or the people inside of it?"  
The terrapin didn't need a verbal conformation; the answer was plastered all over Cass's face. While her ice blue eyes never betrayed much emotion, Cassidy's facial features were surprisingly expressive. She had never been good at hiding her feelings. Cass was at her breaking point; Leonardo barely had a chance to stand and go to her before she fell into his arms.

Leonardo quickly and easily gathered Cassidy's shaking frame closer to his own, pressing his hands against her head and back to press her into his plastron. He jumped slightly when her small arms went around his middle and rested on the sides of his shell. Cassidy's sobs were muffled slightly because she had pressed her face so tightly into his plastron, but he could feel the occasional shakes that wracked her body and the cute noise of a hiccup between the tears.

He tried for something sweet, but all Leonardo could think to say was a sort of silly encouragement.  
"Don't let them get to you, Cass."

Leo was no Mike, but he had picked up a couple things in his 18 years. Being the oldest brother of 4 helped some, too. The leader remembered back to when he was just a toddler, and the way he held his two youngest brothers when they were upset. Even Raphael, after his first encounter with spiders and cockroaches, needed to be comforted by Leo. Leonardo realized that Cassidy's embrace was a lot like Donnie's; tight, silent, but hesitant, unwilling to release fully into the arms that held her.

Leo had to make her relax. He cupped the arch of Cassidy's back, lightly rubbing a palm against the tense muscles there. His other hand slowly ran down the back of her head, combing through dark hair as it did. In any other situation, Leonardo would be close to fainting. The feeling of her knotted but silky hair sliding through his too-large fingers, light caresses from her long eyelashes on his plastron, the curve of her soft back; they were all driving him nuts. Never in his dreams had he dared to believe he would be doing what he was now.

The height difference between the two almost made Leonardo chuckle. Cassidy had always seemed larger than life; some sort of mythical being that didn't really belong here, on Earth, trapped in a friendship with a mutant, a freak of nature. In reality, Cassidy couldn't have stood taller than than 5'5". Leo, standing at 5'11, felt like a giant. Not that he minded; this way, Cass's face fit perfectly into the uppermost plates of Leonardo's plastron.

With a couple more strokes through her hair, Leonardo felt Cassidy's body finally release and her breathing even out. Relieved, Leo lightened his grip ever so slightly on Cassidy. Bad idea. He hadn't noticed how much of Cass's weight he was really supporting. His friend's knees buckled, and she dropped with a yelp to the floor.

Before she could hit the dark wood flooring of her room, Leonardo had one arm under Cassidy's knees, and the other cradling her back.

_Too close, too close, too close… Set her down! Get away! I'm serious, not much self-control left.  
_Almost too quickly to be polite, Leonardo let Cassidy down and sat her on the floor. Their faces had been dangerously close, so close that Leonardo could see the unshed tears still clinging to Cassidy's dark eyelashes. Her usually crystal-like eyes had clouded over, welcoming a light grey fog that collected at the edges.

Something about her was getting to Leonardo tonight. The feeling he got around her… it was like walking on eggshells, and with one wrong step, the special bond of friendship they had would shatter. He had to be more careful. More in control.

Cassidy let loose a small giggle; Leonardo breathed easier. Thank god for Cass; she could turn any awkward situation into a comfortable one. He crouched down to her eye level as she wiped away stray tears. Finishing, Cassidy turned her attention back to the blue mask, whose owner had been watching her intently, gauging her emotions. Leonardo saw in her eyes that part of her wall had already been built back up, shutting him out somewhat. This was to be expected; Cassidy wasn't comfortable with confrontation, although she wore most of her emotions on her sleeve.

He decided to accept this when she gave him a small smile, which he easily met with his own. Offering two large, three-fingered hands, Leonardo stood slightly. Cass smiled bigger now, and laid her smaller, five-fingered hands on top of his. Leo grasped lightly and pulled his friend to her feet.

Behind her, Leonardo noticed that the sun had finally fallen below the horizon and the city began to welcome the night. He knew he hadn't had anything to eat, and couldn't imagine that Cassidy had either. Looking down at the girl, he was surprised to find her staring intently back at him. Leonardo prayed his voice wouldn't leave him.

"Want me to make you something to eat?"

Cassidy cocked her head to the side, questioning. Leo found this small act extremely adorable on her.  
"Leonardo, aren't you _my_ guest? I'll make the meals."

Leo had to suppress a sigh and an eye roll. Stubborn Cassidy was back. "But, Cass, I just thought that…"

Cassidy let out a laugh, _again,_ before he could finish. Was he really _that_ funny tonight? She grasped Leonardo's wrist and pulled him along behind her as they walked out of her room and into the hallway.  
"How do PB&J's sound?"

….

Leonardo lounged on the loveseat in Cass's sitting room, listening to her talk about Crew. Her house was one of the only places the leader let himself totally relax. Like now, for example. He had his legs dangling over the side of the large armrest, his shell pressed far back into the cushions, arms thrown up carelessly behind him. Leo had angled himself so he could watch out the window and into the kitchen, where Cassidy was smoothing peanut butter onto two different sandwiches. She didn't have to look at him as she talked, she knew he was listening.

"…and Coach was really excited about it, but I was kind of upset that we didn't get a chance to go along with the guys. Even if I'm not rowing, seeing something like a National meet and being there to cheer them on would be so _awesome_."

"Where's the regatta being held?" Leonardo didn't like how the word "guys" was flowing so easily out of Cassidy's mouth. So sue him.

"D.C., I'm pretty sure."

If Leonardo had taken a sip of the milk that sat on the coffee table next to him at that moment, he would have spit it all back out forcefully. _D.C.?! _Good god, that was hours away! Much too far for him to be able to make sure she was safe._ You can't tell her what to do, where to go, who to talk to! Maybe you are as much of a control freak as your brothers make you out to be. Her life isn't for you to plan, idiot. Let her be._

So caught up in his own thoughts, Leonardo hadn't noticed Cassidy take a break from finishing the sandwiches. She had walked into the sitting room and was messing around with something on Scar. Now she had Leo's full attention. With a flourish of her hand and the quick _snap_ of a plug connecting to the computer, Cassidy turned and half-skipped back to the kitchen counter. Not seconds later, the speakers that had been expertly placed around the rooms came to life.

Leo should have known. The only thing that could up Cass's spirits besides ice cream and superheroes was music. And singing. Lots of singing.

First to play was _Paul McCartney and Wings_' "Jet". Leonardo grinned widely at Cass, who was already watching him, waiting for his reaction. She knew he loved Paul; being a bass player himself, he had to appreciate the best bass melodist to ever play the instrument.

Cassidy brought over two plates, both holding the best-looking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Leo had ever seen. Cass offered Leo the plate as she sat down opposite him on the loveseat. Leo eyed the sandwich warily.

"Blackberry?"

The girl he questioned rolled her eyes at the sassy turtle. "Of course, your highness. Not even a thank you?" Cass's voice climbed higher with the last question, meeting Leonardo's joke with a tease of her own.

This brought a smile out of Leo. He looked to the sky and proclaimed, "Oh thank you, good Lord, for the girl who bringeth the bounty of peanuts and jellies!"  
He had no idea what had gotten into him, but Leo didn't mind. Being a bit crazy was fun, once in a while. When his brothers weren't there to bear witness.

Cassidy laughed loudly, her own sandwich clutched in her hand. They ate in silence then, only pausing one in a while to make eye contact and mouth "Jet!" whenever Paul sang it in the song.

The music shifted to something a bit quieter, but the pair weren't able to speak quite yet. They both had a lot of peanut butter stuck to the roofs of their mouths. Leonardo gave Cass the sink-eye.

"Cass, that sandwich was made of about 90% peanut butter, 5% jelly, and 5% bread." Leonardo managed to get out through slaps of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He felt like a silly puppy dog. Leo snuck a look at Cass out of the corner of his eyes, to see if she had the same problem and that's why she wasn't answering him.

Instead, Cassidy looked about ready to cry with laughter. Her face was red from the effort of holding the giggle back, but when he turned to look at her in disbelief, she lost it. Cassidy threw her head back and laughed a loud and deep laugh from the base of her stomach. Leonardo, though slightly miffed, had to join in with her. Cass's laugh was something that couldn't be missed. It immediately caused others around her to chuckle along with her.

So that's what Leonardo did. With some difficulty, of course. That peanut better was _really_ stuck up there!

Having calmed herself down, Cassidy finally took a chance at looking at her turtle friend. He wasn't really mad, but took this chance to sulk. It'd earn him all the attention he could ever want.

Still giggling, Cassidy picked up Leo's glass of milk and helped him take a few sips, since he was refusing to make any movement whatsoever. The blue-masked turtle watched Cass's ice eyes crinkle with laughter as she tried to force the edge of the cup past Leo's lips so he could take a sip.

Just as he was about to take the glass from Cassidy and call the game, he felt something brush against his bottom lip. And this something was certainly not the cold glass of Leo's beverage. Cass's finger had accidently grazed Leo's lip. She pulled back like his mouth was on fire as Leo snatched the drink away from her. He took a long sip to avoid the awkward conversation likely to follow and to finally get that pesky peanut butter off of the roof of his mouth.

Leo was scared to take his mouth off of the glass; afraid he'd say something stupid to Cassidy and ruin his chances even more. _Chances? Who said anything about chances? You think this beautiful girl will consider _you_ when there are millions of normal human guys out there for her to be with?_

This was an awful topic to focus on. Instead, Leonardo stood and took his and Cassidy's plate to the kitchen. Tried to focus on cleaning the small amount of dishes she had left. Another song came on, one that Cassidy must know, because Leo could hear her voice quietly singing along. _Quietly? _That wasn't right. When Cass sang, it was loud and proud.

He needn't have worried. When the chorus started, Cass twirled into the kitchen singing at her usual volume.

"_Old black water, keep on rollin'  
Mississippi Moon won'tcha keep on shinin' on  
Old black water, keep on rollin'  
Mississippi Moon won'tcha keep on shinin' on  
Old black water, keep on rollin'  
Mississippi Moon, won'tcha keep on shinin' on me  
Yeah, keep on shinin' your light  
Gonna make everything, pretty momma  
gonna make everything alright_

_And I ain't got no worries  
cause I ain't in no hurry at all"  
_Leo smiled down at the dishes he was washing as Cassidy tapped out the drums onto the island in the kitchen. He loved hearing her sing.

_"Well if it rains, I don't care,  
don't make no difference to me  
Just take that street car that's goin' up town._

_Yeah, I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland  
and dance a honky tonk,  
And I'll be buyin' ev'rybody drinks all 'roun'"_

Leonardo was almost finished with the dishes when he felt something bump against his hip. No, not something… _someone_. But Cassidy was gone when he turned, already halfway across the kitchen doing her own little thing. How she kept her feet in rhythm with the beat of the song and jumped and twirled all at the same time was a mystery to Leo. He could only watch in amusement and pride.

After another round of the chorus, the dishes were done and Leo turned around so he could continue to watch Cass. He chuckled, leaning back slightly into the countertop. Cassidy's eyes were closed as she sang and danced. She had no idea he watched her every move.

_"And I ain't got no worries  
'Cause I ain't in no hurry at all"_

The instruments in the song fell silent, one by one, until all that was left was the voices of the band members and Cassidy, joining them in the A cappella.

_"I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland  
Pretty mama come and take me by the hand.  
By the hand, take me by the hand, pretty mama  
Come and dance with your daddy all night long"  
_Leonardo couldn't have held back the large grin on his face if he wanted to. Cassidy's voice sounded the best here, without the instruments backing it up. This was all she needed to sound absolutely amazing. Plus, she was still dancing, her gorgeous hips swaying, dipping, popping…

Leo shook he head and again focused on her voice. She seemed to be switching every so often, singing different lyrics every time she came around. Then he realized; she was singing both parts of a harmony. One time she would focus on the lead lines, and then switch to the back ones on the next time through. It only took Leo two times to pick up on the shorter, back up lyrics before he joined Cassidy. 

When she sang;

_"By the hand, take me by the hand, pretty mama  
Come and dance with your daddy all night long"_

Leo added in his own voice at the same time;

_"I want to honky tonk, honky tonk, honky tonk  
With you all night long"_

Surprised, but far from upset, Cassidy started the lines off again.  
"_I'd like to hear some funky Dixieland,  
Pretty mama come and take me by the hand.  
_Leo added in when she hit the last two lines again, their voices mixing beautifully. _  
"By the hand, take me by the hand, pretty mama "I want to honky tonk, honky tonk, honky tonk  
Come and dance with your daddy all night long" With you all night long"_

They went through the same verse three more times, and Leo even twirled Cassidy around the kitchen once. As the song closed, Cass gave a final spin and fell onto the couch, breathless from the combination of singing and dancing. Leo watched with silent amusement as she struggled with the ponytail holder that was holding her messy bun together. Seeing the tussle was only irritating her more, Leo approached the couch from behind Cassidy.

"Here, let me."

Cass halted her struggle and turned slightly to give Leonardo a sheepish look over her shoulder. Sitting down on the edge of the cushion behind his friend, Leo reached his large three fingers up and gently took the mess of elastic and hair from Cassidy's smaller hands. She relaxed considerably when Leonardo finally had the pesky elastic free. Not really thinking, Leo continued to brush out her tangled curls. He shifted so he sat cross-legged on the couch. Cass adjusted with him, resting the small of her back against his shins where they crossed. Leonardo saw the tenseness in her shoulders dissipate. He didn't even realize she was wound so tightly.

Another song came on over the speakers now, one Leo instantly recognized. It was by one of his favorite musicians, Jack Johnson. For some odd reason, soft beach acoustic was one of the only modern genres Leo enjoyed. His fingers continued to work through Cassidy's soft tresses, and once he was satisfied with that, he began to pick out pieces of her hair. He had learned a while ago after he and his brothers had become friends with April and Cassidy how to braid. At first he passed it off as wanting to learn the ancient samurai art of _kumihimo_. But, really, it was so he could do something nice for his adoptive sisters.

So now, as he braided, he also sang for the girl that sat with him.

The words started off slowly, the guitar barely strumming in the background. _  
"It's as simple as something that nobody knows,  
that her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes,  
on the feet of a queen of the hearts of the cards  
and her feet are all covered with tar balls, and scars. _

_It's as common as something that nobody knows,  
that her beauty will follow wherever she goes  
up the hill in the back of her house in the wood  
she love me forever, I know she could. _

Leo tried to match the tone of his voice with Jack's soft, husky recording._  
I remember when, you and me, mmmm, how we used to be  
just good friends, wouldn't give me none  
when all I wanted was some. _

The tempo of the song finally picked up to normal pace, as did Leonardo's singing._  
She's got a whole lot of reasons,  
she can't think of a single one that can justify leaving,  
and he got none but he thinks he got so many problems  
Man he got, too much time to waste._

_His dreams are like commercials  
But her dreams are picture perfect and our  
dreams are so related though they're often underestimated_

It's as simple as something that nobody knows that  
Her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes  
On the feet of the queen of the hearts of the cards  
And her feet are infested with tar balls and-  
  
Though it felt silly at first, Leo still sang along with the la da da's of the song._  
La da da da da da, la da da da da da da, la da da da da da, la da da da da da da da_

Time for his favorite part. Leo could recite these lines so perfectly and quickly that his voice melded with the recording._  
Well I was eating lunch at the D. L. G.  
When this little girl came and she sat next to me  
never seen nobody move the way she did  
Well, she did and she does and she'll do it again,_

When you move like a jellyfish  
Rhythm don't mean nothing  
You go with the flow  
You don't stop.  
Move like a jellyfish;  
Rhythm is nothing  
You go with the flow  
You don't stop  
mmhmmm

It's as common as something that nobody knows that  
Her beauty will follow wherever she goes  
Up the hill in the back of her house in the wood  
She'll love me forever, I know she  
la da da da da da, la da da da da da da, la da da da da da, la da da da da da da da

If you would only listen,  
You might just realize what you're missin';  
You're missin' me.  
If you would only listen,  
You might just realize what you're missin';  
You're missin' me.

It's as simple as something that nobody knows,  
that her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes  
On the feet of the queen of the hearts of the cards  
And her feet are infested with tar balls and  
la da da da da da, la da da da da da da, la da da da da da, la da da da da da da da.

When the last guitar note had drifted into silence, Leonardo finished his braid and gently let it go, allowing it to rest between Cassidy's shoulder blades. Cassidy reached a hand up to feel Leo's handiwork; she hummed in happiness when she felt the expertly braided strands. She turned around on the couch, facing Leo. He gave her a small smile, one that she returned sadly. Before Leo could ask what was on her mind, Cassidy spoke.

"I hate feeling like I don't belong, Leo. I know I could do really great things… if I could get away from here. I feel so _small_, so _helpless_. The people I see every day at school… I can tell they feel like they belong there. _Wasting_ every day with their trivial wants… they're okay with it, Leo. They're okay with barely living. I'm not. I want to do something that _means_ something."

Leo had no idea what to say. All of this rushed out of Cassidy relatively quickly, and Leonardo hadn't had time to assess and prepare a response to all of her worries. But, he realized, maybe she didn't want him to say anything back. He sat there, ready to just listen.

"You and your brothers, Leo… you guys are probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. What you do, how you help this city, I want to do something like that." Leo raised both eye ridges at her in surprise. Cassidy laughed slightly.  
"Well, maybe not exactly the whole "vigilante" thing, what I mean is I want to do good with my life like you guys do. I don't want to pursue a desk job where I move up the ranks to earn a better salary… I don't want to live for the money or the material rewards. I want to live for more, so I can have those little moments… those little moments that make you feel so happy and content, you know?" Cass shook her head and looked down at her lap again.

Leonardo understood. He felt like this, right here, might be one of those moments.

"Cass, you're much better than those people. I hope you realize that. Just because of what you want to do… it just proves how much more mature, empathetic… just how much better of a person you are than them."

Cassidy looked up at him with watery eyes and that sad smile.  
"They treat me like an outsider Leo. I don't feel _above_ them, but it seems like they think I think that way. I try so hard to be a good person… I have so much to make up for…"

Now Leonardo knew what Cassidy referred to. Her past, her parent's mistakes; they were causing a burden to be placed upon Cassidy's shoulders. Leo would not have it. He put his finger under her chin and lifted it slightly, so he had full access to Cassidy's almond-shaped blue beauties.  
"Cassidy Eve. Listen to me, and don't forget this. What Eliza did, and what Randy did, their mistakes and trespasses are _not_ your burdens to carry. Neither were your fault, nor did you have anything to do with them. You were merely the baby caught up in the mess of their lives. You can't make up for their mistakes, because you don't have to. Though, you probably could. You really are an amazing person, Cass. You don't think yourself above those people at your school; but truthfully, you are. Because you're so much better than them, they don't understand you. And people tend to not mess with what they don't understand."

Cassidy dipped her head low then, probably out of embarrassment and to hide her tears. Leonardo opened his hand and Cassidy readily pressed her cheek into his palm.  
"I know you feel like no one gets it now, Cass, and that you're alone out there. But you're not. You've always got me, even though I can't be there with you all the time… I'm still always with you. You know that, right?"

Now Cassidy smiled for real, gazing up at him from the cradle of his hand. She leaned in and nestled her face in the crook of his shoulder and neck. His arms immediately went around her and pulled her closer.  
"Sorry for being a mess, Leo. And for being all mushy and melodramatic." She mumbled into his skin.

The skin her lips touched as she spoke was white-hot. Her soft breath came out slow and even, waiting for his reply. Leonardo laughed internally at her apology.  
"If I thought you were being mushy and dramatic I'd have to call up Raph."

Cassidy shook in his arms when he spoke, and Leo found he couldn't let her go. Cass had to pull away from him after a few moments. When she had leaned back into a sitting position, Leonardo felt slightly cold. He thought it'd be nice to have her warmth back in his arms. For the umpteenth time that night, Leo mentally slapped himself. What had gotten into him?

Better question: what had gotten into Cassidy? Leonardo watched her lips move, her eyes grow wide, and her finger point out somewhere behind him, but Leo couldn't hear anything or move at all. He just watched, caught in slow motion, as Cassidy leapt up from the couch and ran past him. The confused turtle turned his head; it was still far too difficult to complete the simple motor skill. Cassidy was pointing with more haste now, her body quaking with energy. Finally, his mind seemed to pull itself out of slow-motion just in time for his ears to catch what Cass was saying.

"...we haven't had one in weeks! Leo, are you listening to me? Don't you hear it? It's raining! But there's no thunder or lightning! Leo! Leonardo, do you know what this means?!"

Leo blinked his eyes once, twice. Cleared his head and scratched the back of his neck nervously.  
"Uh… the neighborhood dogs won't be going crazy?"

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes and shot Leo an exasperated look.  
"No, shell-for-brains! It means we get to go run around in the rain without having to worry about being struck by lightning!"  
Suddenly, her small hand grasped his larger wrist and she was pulling him to his feet.  
"Come on, ninja boy!"

Leonardo stumbled in a very un-ninja-like fashion behind his friend, out the back door and off the porch, into Cass's driveway.

Cassidy had already let go of him, running off and spinning in circles as the rain fell in large, heavy drops around her. Leonardo hid out underneath the overhang just watching her. Cass saw him and called out, beckoning him into the shower with her sweet voice. He ran to her, forgetting his worries and duties to just enjoy the warm rain and the girl he couldn't keep his eyes off of.

Turtle and girl ran, splashed, yelled, laughed, and twirled around in the downpour until her clothes and his leather straps had soaked through. Cassidy led Leo back into the house, taking the braid out as she walked onto the porch. When there, she shook her head back and forth, spraying Leonardo with even more water from her hair. Leo had to close his eyes and hold up a hand to protect his face from the oncoming spray. He laughed good-naturedly as he did, but when the terrapin opened his eyes, the laugh died in his throat.

Cassidy, _his _Cassidy, was standing there, in front of the sliding glass door and him, Hamato Leonardo, peeling her rain-soaked t-shirt off. The wet fabric stuck as it slowly, teasingly, let go of Cassidy's olive skin. Although her side was toward him, Leonardo still felt awful about staring. But he couldn't help himself. _Not a great time to be a horny teenage mutant._ The shirt hid Cass's face for a couple seconds as she continued to pull it off, revealing her modest light blue sports bra and, _more importantly, _Leothought, the surprisingly large curvy outline of Cassidy's breasts. The heat that flooded Leonardo's body wasn't in his cheeks this time; it pooled somewhere much lower and much more embarrassing. From the side, all Leo saw was the arch of her back, the smoothness of her flat stomach, and the swell of those gorgeous mounds.

If there was a heaven for a mutant like him, Leo had most definitely died and gone there.

The young ninja desperately busied himself with his own leather strappings and weapons, attempting to look like he hadn't just been checking his best friend out and hide the slight change in his body's chemical balance. He took off the leather strappings from around his waist and arms, his katana from his back and the random other sharp weapons from various places on his person, laying them out on the table on the porch to dry.

_Hmm hm hm… I'm not thinking about her, not thinking about her shirtless, she still is fully dressed and not at all pretty, actually she's ugly, she looks like that tramp Raph and I rescued a couple nights ago…_

But no matter how hard Leo tried to make his mind forget the situation he was in, it all got worse when he looked up for the second time.

If he had thought he needed his cool, calm, and collected ninja attitude at any point in his lifetime, Leonardo needed it now.

The boxer shorts had joined the soaked shirt on the floor of the porch, leaving Cass standing in her sports bra and these tight black boyshort undies that covered her front but only covered two thirds of her behind, not to mention they were tight as all get out.

Leo's hormones screamed at him to jump her and ravish her right there, right now. His logic, which sounded suspiciously like his father, told him to look away and focus on potential threats.

But she turned away, her back to the large ninja on her porch, and reached for the door. Leonardo, caught up in the hypnotic movements of Cassidy's soft hips and tight butt, didn't even move or attempt to make a noise. Finally, as if as a second thought, Cass turned back toward Leo. Her hand on the doorknob, a slight, shy, embarrassed blush graced her cheeks as she tried and failed to meet the turtle's eyes. Although she wasn't looking

"Well, now that we're not dripping wet, why don't we warm up?"

Bashfully still checking his best friend out, Leo gracefully answered, "Ihtsnetthatcold. I mean… uh, maybe hot chocolate?"

Cassidy scrunched her eyebrows together, trying to decipher what exactly Leo had said. This look was adorable on her, by the way. Either giving up, or laughing at him, she gave a small smile that reached her striking crystal blue eyes. That alone was enough to melt Leo's insides. Add in the effect of her gorgeous, wide hips, tiny waist, ample chest and hard nipples; the desires to pull Cassidy's hips flush with his and kiss her silly almost hurt. It hurt physically, that's for sure, and the growing bulge in his lower plate reminded him of that fact.

Hamato Leonardo may be a highly trained and skilled ninja, leader of his clan and expert swordsman who had taken on some of the universe's worst evils. But none of those challenges could come close to the dilemma this girl was putting him through.

And all he could do was grit his teeth and try to keep his thoughts to himself.

**Also, I didn't really correct any mistakes at the very end. Sorry about that. I'm so tired I can't even.**

**xoxo- AspiringArtist14**


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